by 
The preceding week had been ominous with thunder and lightning clapping above the southern skies on the Thursday; but early morning on Sunday 5th May 2024 the mist rose amidst the hills of Dorking…
Can you spot Leith Hill Tower in the distance?
…and a gentle breeze portended optimal walking conditions for a party of about 40 keen walkers who were assembling in Friday Street car park, deep in the Surrey hills, a designated area of outstanding natural beauty.
Hailing from as far afield as Ilford, Luton and High Wycombe and including those closer to home from Kingston, Central London and elsewhere, the task at hand was the ascent of Holmbury Hill, Leith Hill and to be fair Denbies Hill over a circuit of 25km… within a challenge time of 7hrs!
After listening to a debrief in which I sported the dual-spectacle look, delivered the TLDR of ‘thank you for supporting the education of underprivileged children in Pakistan‘ and encouraged togetherness, we set off… and within 15 minutes Team Amer had stormed ahead putting at least half a mile gap between the rest of us!
But on this day if you were to have any chance of coming in within 7 hours, determination would have to be utmost with no time for team banter and distraction… Little did they know however that their mettle would be put to test by the strategically placed karak chai and cake stop to come.
After passing the magnificent Redwood tree on Abinger Common and being greeted by the ringing bells of Holmbury StMary, the gentle ramble up to the top of Holmbury Hill began and was quickly followed by a winding steep descent from it.
Next came Leith Hill and once again after not too much trouble the parties reached the summit and took a break in the shade of Leith Hill Tower.
From Leith Hill we headed onwards to the Wotton Hatch, well past the half-way mark, for a much needed toilet break, water re-fill, sandwich stop and evaluations of one’s himmat to continue or not.
Following Wotton began another ascent up onto Ranmore Common which promised wonderful views of the valley but more importantly the promise of the fabled karak chai and cake stop at Denbies Hillside.
The Route
However a light rain set in, the legs were starting to ache, the uphill was seemingly relentless but the skies cleared and the masses were not disappointed with what they found at the end of the rainbow.
And now the hard work set in; the return to Friday Street. Those who were still within striking distance of the 7hr challenge reset their focus and charged onwards willing to put their lives on the line… literally!
Others would recount the details of how they ran all the way from Denbies Hillside to Friday Street.. but unfortunately just missing the mark.
But most others chose life over arbitrary time scales, enjoyed the walk, the scenery and took the time to pose by this rhododendron.
And with the finish line in sight and drawing on all of one’s last legs and determination and battling through the ‘muddy bit’ and going off-course a little…. the first-returnees and all came in one by one and collected their completion certificates!
Thanks to all of you… This could not have been a success without your efforts. You discovered your limits.. next year you will break through them inshaAllah!
Why We Do This
This is a picture of TCF alumnus Yasir Saleem with his siblings Iqra, Nadeem and Sidra at his graduation at Fenway Park, Boston, taken on 5th May 2024 while we were gearing up for our challenge. But it's not just Yasir; all of his siblings are TCF alumni (first generation students in their family). That's the power of quality education. It is because of supporters like all of you that our kids are able to see such bright days. Thank you for all your support.
And finally… did you spot Leith Hill Tower in the first photo? It’s here…
